Quiz Two GOVT 2301 Spring 2010

I want you to answer these questions on a scantron and bring it to class with you either next Wednesday or Thursday depending on when your class meets. You are to do your own work, do not copy from anyone else. On the scantron somewhere I want you to write: I promise that this is my own work.

1. The basic premise of natural law is that
a. people know their proper place within the social order, accept that placement, and work to preserve the social order.
b. The universe is governed by reasonable, rational laws, and humans have the capacity to reason, meaning they can understand these laws.
c. people are naturally evil and must submit to an overarching governing authority.
d. people are naturally good, meaning that no governing authority is necessary.

2. The concept of natural rights is revolutionary because it challenges
a. the divine right of the monarch
b. the idea that people are innately rational
c. the idea that people are capable of self government
d. all of the above are true

3. The Divine Right of Kings rested on the idea that
a. people were born into submission
b. the Monarch ruled by authority of God
c. the Monarch had absolute power
d. all of the above are true

4. According to John Locke, and the enlightenment in general, the defining characteristic of man is his capacity to _.
a. self govern.
b. be passionate
c. reason
d. make moral decisions

5. In brief, the Magna Carta is a document that
a. Placed limits on the arbitrary rule of King John
b. Defined the relationship between the monarchy and the barons
c. Protected people from arbitrary arrest
d. all of the above are true

6. Why did the barons force King John to sign the Magna Carta?
a. to ensure that power would remain concentrated within the monarchy
b. to restrain his abusive and arbitrary rule
c. in order to establish that all men are created equal
d. none of the above are true


7. The decrease in the power of the monarch has been driven by an increase in the power of the
a. executive branch
b. the courts
c. legislatures
d. church


8. Why was Magna Carta annulled by the pope?
a. Because in addition to limiting the power of the king over England it also limited the church’s authority over England.
b. Because such an agreement could only be made within the church
c. Because it did not go far enough to expand rights to all strata within the general population.
d. Trick question: The Magna Carta was not annulled by the pope because he agreed with its purpose

9. Which of the following was not true about the Stuart Monarchs
a. they attempted to rule without the input of Parliament
b. they claimed divine right to rule

c. they refused to see themselves as beneath the law
d. they engaged in a series of crusades to take over Jerusalem

10. In order become monarchs, William and Mary had to sign the British Bill of Rights which established that
a. they were beneath the law
b. they ruled by divine right
c. they were to use all available resources, with complete discretion, to strengthen the kingdom
d. all of the above are true.

11. Following the Glorious Revolution, Britain’s government became
a. an absolute monarchy
b. a parliamentary democracy
c. a military dictatorship
d. a pure democracy

12. Which of the follow could the monarch no longer do according to the British Bill of Rights?
a. suspend laws without consent of parliament
b. levy money by prerogative
c. keep a standing army in time of peace
d. the monarch could do none of the above

13. Which of the following is not a freedom listed in the British Bill of Rights that is not also listed in the U.S. Constitution?
a. the right to petition.
b. the right to arms for defense.
c. the right to free speech in Parliament.
d. the right to a free press.

14. According to John Locke, in the state of nature
a. people are born free and equal
b. people have possession of their own lives
c. people possess whatever they mix their labor with
d. all of the above are true


15. Which of the following is not true about the Declaration of Independence?
a. it was addressed to the world, not simply to the Parliament and the king of England.
b. it claimed that the king of England was attempting to create a tyranny over the colonies
c. it established the independence of the 13 separate colonies
d. it created the first government of the United States


Questions 16 – 20 refer to the opening phrase in the Declaration of Independence.

16. That all men are created
a. reluctantly
b. within a social order
c. in the image of God
d. equal

17. that they are endowed by their Creator with
a. obligations to promote the general welfare
b. certain unalienable rights
c. the ability to engage in certain pursuits
d. free will to engage in the pursuits of their choosing

18. that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
a. these are limited to
b. government has no obligation to guarantee
c. among these are
d. the majority can determine the extent of one’s

19. . . . that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the
a. consent of the governed
b. legislature
c. the moral codes
d. law

20. . . . that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, _.
a. the people must determine some way to work within the pre-existing system because people do not possess the power to determine the quality of government.
b. it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
c. it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and return to the state of nature.
d. they must petition to the government for a redress of grievances.